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For those of you that have ridden back to back a "modern" bike and your favorite GS, you surely noticed that the modern bike feels much taughter, more "in one piece".
Most of us would just shrug their shoulders believing that "it's normal" every part of the bike has been improved over the years so what do you expect?
I personally wasn't satisfied with this kind of answer and over the last two years I started modifying a first and then a second GS 1000 S with components coming from more recent bikes.
First experiment: GSXR 11K front fork (RSU), monoshock rear swingarm, 17" wheels with radial tires.
Search no further, this bike was now in the modern era
As I changed all parameters at once except the frame, I could not pinpoint exactly what made the biggest improvement?
Second experiment: same bike but with GSXR 11G/H fork , 18" wheels with radial tires.
Result a large step backwards despite many hours spent on the front fork with stiffer springs and RaceTech gold valves.
Third experiment: my other GS 1000 S with GSXR 11K front fork but with OEM 19" wheel with crossply tire and full OEM rear (shocks, 17" wheel with crossply tire).
Result a very modern feel but with far too much trail and a mismatch between the front and rear suspension
Fourth experiment: back to the first bike with full GSXR 11K suspension front and rear ( like in N°1) but with 18" wheels shod with radial tires.
Result: very good just like in the first test.
Bike is very stable and feels very taught at all times.
My conclusion is the following:
1) the frame ( at least for the GS 1000) plays almost no role
2) the radial tires improve the feel a little but not enough to justify the modern feel.
3) the suspension plays the major role and specifically the cartridge type fork when associated with a De Carbon type shock at the rear.
Why is that?
The modern suspensions control the damping by letting the oil flow through a series of shims that deflect when the oil forces it's way through.
The GS bikes (and the first generation GSXRs) use an older principle that consists of letting the oil go through a small orifice.
On the modern bike, by carefully tuning the shims that are mounted in a stack, you can create different damping laws.
The law that is mostly used is called digressive because when the oil wants to move faster through the shims the resistance will increase at a slower rate than with a conventional shock absorber.
In practice you get a shock absorber that strongly damps the slow motions of the bike while allowing the bumps to be filtered out.
To convince yourself try shaking a modern bike up and down.
You would believe that the result would be a very uncomfortable ride.
Yet it's the exact contrary: the bike feels taught but not uncomfortable
Most of us would just shrug their shoulders believing that "it's normal" every part of the bike has been improved over the years so what do you expect?
I personally wasn't satisfied with this kind of answer and over the last two years I started modifying a first and then a second GS 1000 S with components coming from more recent bikes.
First experiment: GSXR 11K front fork (RSU), monoshock rear swingarm, 17" wheels with radial tires.
Search no further, this bike was now in the modern era
As I changed all parameters at once except the frame, I could not pinpoint exactly what made the biggest improvement?
Second experiment: same bike but with GSXR 11G/H fork , 18" wheels with radial tires.
Result a large step backwards despite many hours spent on the front fork with stiffer springs and RaceTech gold valves.
Third experiment: my other GS 1000 S with GSXR 11K front fork but with OEM 19" wheel with crossply tire and full OEM rear (shocks, 17" wheel with crossply tire).
Result a very modern feel but with far too much trail and a mismatch between the front and rear suspension
Fourth experiment: back to the first bike with full GSXR 11K suspension front and rear ( like in N°1) but with 18" wheels shod with radial tires.
Result: very good just like in the first test.
Bike is very stable and feels very taught at all times.
My conclusion is the following:
1) the frame ( at least for the GS 1000) plays almost no role
2) the radial tires improve the feel a little but not enough to justify the modern feel.
3) the suspension plays the major role and specifically the cartridge type fork when associated with a De Carbon type shock at the rear.
Why is that?
The modern suspensions control the damping by letting the oil flow through a series of shims that deflect when the oil forces it's way through.
The GS bikes (and the first generation GSXRs) use an older principle that consists of letting the oil go through a small orifice.
On the modern bike, by carefully tuning the shims that are mounted in a stack, you can create different damping laws.
The law that is mostly used is called digressive because when the oil wants to move faster through the shims the resistance will increase at a slower rate than with a conventional shock absorber.
In practice you get a shock absorber that strongly damps the slow motions of the bike while allowing the bumps to be filtered out.
To convince yourself try shaking a modern bike up and down.
You would believe that the result would be a very uncomfortable ride.
Yet it's the exact contrary: the bike feels taught but not uncomfortable
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